


Setting The Bar

by crystalgems-forever (eddifying)



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Gen, I'm sure you can guess who the pianist and bodyguard are, Implied Jealousy, Implied Relationships, Mostly Gen, Multi, Pearl on a pole, Pole Dancing, Sneaking Around, Steven Universe AU, holla holla make them dolla
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2015-10-04
Packaged: 2018-04-24 16:40:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4927180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eddifying/pseuds/crystalgems-forever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was the third Friday night in a row where Pearl had skipped out on dinner and board games with her roommates. She had left the house, all dolled up, without telling anyone where she was going. Thinking that she’s covering up a major secret, Garnet and Amethyst decide it’s time to track her down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Setting The Bar

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Human AU! Trademarked names changed to protect the innocent. Rating is a notch below that which is exclusively for smut, but explicit enough that a PG-13 didn’t feel quite right. I also hate that the big reveal had to end up in the tags :/

Original tumblr post can be found [here](http://crystalgems-forever.tumblr.com/post/130086421351/fic-setting-the-bar-mild-nsfw).

* * *

 

_“Aww yiss,_ I love me some Friday night foodage!” Amethyst cheered enthusiastically as she retrieved a stack of plates from the cabinet. Behind her, a tall dark-skinned woman with an unusually cubic afro had laid out a collection of styrofoam containers in a neat little buffet-style row.

“Fried rice, ginger beef, chow mein, fortune cookies!” the shorter gal waggled her hips rhythmically as she sang the song of her people – she’d started doing it one day as a way to express her excitement and appreciation for the meal, and it had since become a staple of the household’s pre-dinner requisites whenever they ordered Chinese food.

“You forgot the steamed vegetables,” the other woman, Garnet, amended with a knowing smile.

“Ah come on, G, you know that ain’t part of the song,” Amethyst ribbed her teasingly as she set to work heaping a sizeable pile of chow mein onto her plate.

“Just for that, you don’t get to be the race car.”

“Aww, how will I _ever_ go on?” she pouted with faux indignation. “Besides, you’d best check the facts, yo. We agreed to play Pointless Trivia tonight! You _know_ I hate Polypoly!”

“Well, you’ve been out-voted,” Garnet informed her firmly.

“Yeah? Well, we’ll just have Pearl be the tie-breaker on this one,” Amethyst brushed the hair out of her eyes with a confident flick of her head, then craned her neck to holler upstairs at their third roommate. “YO, PEARL! Get your scrawny butt down here, before all the food’s gone!”

Garnet shook her head ruefully as she helped herself to a scoop of freshly steamed rice.

There was a light patter of heels on the carpet as a slender young woman descended the staircase, having been predictably swift at answering Amethyst’s call.

“Hey Pearl, can you _please_ do me a favor and tell Garnet we were gonna play Pointless Trivia tonight?” Chinese food and board games usually went hand-in-hand for the trio, and in the event that they were all free to spend their Friday nights together, the combination had become an unshakable norm, as well as the perfect recipe for an evening of fun. “She totally forgot that I never agreed to her game of _lame_ -opoly!” she added and stuck out her tongue in Garnet’s direction childishly.

“Oh, sorry Amethyst, I can’t,” Pearl’s voice trailed over from the hall. “I’m going out.”

_“What?!”_ Amethyst frowned, nearly dropping her plate onto the cold kitchen floor in shock. “But we haven’t done this in ages!”

“Just last Friday, we did the exact same thing,” Pearl noted keenly as she slipped on a cropped leather jacket. “And the weekend before _that,_ we had pizza and watched movies on Webpix. I’m sure you can handle my absence for _one_ evening.”

_“We_ had pizza and Webpix; _you_ were nowhere to be found,” Garnet amended sternly as the duo advanced into the hallway to confront Pearl. They found her standing by the entrance, methodically scrutinizing her makeup to make sure it was as perfect as always. Her jacket failed to conceal a baby-pink knee-length pencil-skirted dress with matching three-inch pumps, and the set of keys next to the white patent leather purse slung over a nearby end-table indicated that she was intent on taking her car with her.

_“Dang_ P, you clean up nice!” Amethyst let out a low, appreciative whistle as she examined Pearl from head to toe. “Where ya headin’?”

“Oh – ah, nowhere special,” she lied breezily, quickly seizing her keys and purse before being subjected to the ‘third degree’ from her friends. “Don’t wait up!” she flashed them a dazzling white smile before shutting the front door behind her with an elegant twirl.

There was a long pause, leaving the duo standing by the doorway, as they heard an engine roar to life and slowly dissipate down the street.

_“Soooo…_ it’s not just me, right? She’s totally hiding something.”

“Definitely,” Garnet relaxed against the nearest wall, her arms folded over her chest resolutely.

“You think it’s a boyfriend?” Amethyst enquired with a wide smirk.

“There’s no way,” Garnet practically scoffed, turning her gaze out the front window. This was the third Friday night in a row where Pearl had skipped out on dinner and board games with her roommates. She had left the house, all dolled up, without telling anyone where she was going, and Garnet wanted to know what was keeping her out of the house lately. “I think it’s time we got some answers.”

“You mean –” Amethyst’s eyes lit up mischievously as Garnet drew her own set of car keys from her pants pocket, swinging them around her index finger playfully.

“Yup,” Garnet unleashed a grin of her own. “Let’s go.”

* * *

 

If one had been asked to provide their first impression of Garnet, one of the last things they’d expect to hear would be the revelation that she had once been an expert stunt driver. Heck, she was _beyond_ pro-level, Amethyst had decided; the way she skillfully weaved through traffic to keep up with Pearl was leagues above the level of a professional racecar driver, executing every flawless hairpin turn like she was on the scene of a perfectly choreographed Hollywood car-chase scene.

In between bits of gripping the edge of her seat for dear life, Amethyst hadn’t been able to resist the temptation to throw her hands up in the air and shriek like she was having the time of her life on a rollercoaster. More than once, she’d hopped into the back seat so that she could lean forward and yell, “follow that cab!” into Garnet’s ear urgently. There had also been a couple of close calls with braking at intersections and Amethyst subsequently being on the receiving end of a mouthful of windshield glass, but once they were clear of the congested highway traffic, it was easy for them to tail Pearl’s compact white sedan from a reasonably safe distance.

“Heh, that was so much _fun,”_ Amethyst concluded as she fiddled with the radio dials. “We should totally bring Pearl the next time we go stunt driving.”

“Sure, if you want her to have a heart attack.”

The duo burst into a short gigglefit at the idea of Pearl coming along for the type of ride they’d just had, and the car ahead of them put on its left blinker. Garnet was quick to follow, swerving dangerously across three lanes of oncoming traffic in the process, and they immediately found themselves stationed in a well-lit parking lot at the heart of the downtown core, bathed in the golden glow of several opalescent streetlamps and a stately building off in the distance.

Garnet scared off an incoming valet man with a withering frown, in spite of her eyes being completely obscured by the tinted visor she always wore, opting instead to idle along the perimeter for a few moments as they watched Pearl park her car and glide directly toward the gorgeous edifice – the only building at the end of the lot.

“Man, sure are a lot of cars here,” Amethyst noted as Garnet steered her crimson pinto into the nearest available spot, a few rows south of the white sedan. They disembarked and shut the doors as silently as they could, trailing off languidly toward their intended destination. “What is this place, anyway? Some kind of casino?”

“Well, you’re half right,” Garnet deadpanned as they entered the lobby.

The area was elegantly decorated with sweeping glass windowpanes, a massive centrally-erected pillar full of various salt-water creatures swimming lazily up and down the tube, and a humongous diamond chandelier looming brightly overhead from the extremely high ceiling. A soft selection of jazz music tinkled brightly in their ears as gaggle of men and women dressed to the nines crossed the pristine white marble flooring from every which way.

“Yeesh… suddenly, I feel _way_ under-dressed,” Amethyst crossed one of her legs behind the other, trying her best to obscure her shredded purple tights, jean shorts, and matching canvas shoes. Compared to Garnet in her tight leather pants and black-and-white striped three-quarter-length crop top, she felt rather plain.

She then noticed a group of bubbly young women traipsing behind the plexi-glass, each of them sporting an equally sparkly bodysuit and fishnet tights that left very little to the imagination, as they swept past a tall, beefy security guard with shaggy platinum blonde hair. Said guard was surveying a thick black door that bore _‘Cigne D’or’_ in elegant gold cursive, with a squared jaw and an evil glint in her eye that dared any passers-by to try and mess with her.

“Then again…” Amethyst’s voice trailed off, now feeling comparatively well-dressed compared to the bevy of bare-skinned beauties. She then noticed that Garnet was eyeing the entrance with particular interest, and she squinted to try and decipher the lettering to the best of her ability. _“‘Sig-nee door’?_ What the heck’s that s’posed to mean? Is that a Russian thing or somethin’?”

“It’s French,” Garnet informed her, her gaze still fixed to the doorway. “When translated, it means _‘The Golden Swan.’”_

_“Ugh,_ why do you know that?” Amethyst shot her a revolted look, and upon receiving no response, she shrugged her shoulders and sighed loudly. “Well, pardon _my_ French, yo, but we’re not here to sightsee,” she elbowed Garnet affectionately, who was now craning her neck to look at a pair of elegantly dressed women wandering past, momentarily distracted from the imposing wooden doorway. “Come on, we gotta find Pearl!”

“Excuse me, I couldn’t help but overhear. Did you say you were looking for Pearl?”

The soft voice belonged to a slender young woman, relatively short and deceptively young. She was donning a stunning blue cocktail gown and sparkling teardrop earrings that matched the shock of deep cyan hair swept into a simple yet elegant up-do.

The duo turned to look at her with a slight degree of alarm. “Uh…”

“Are you one of her clients?” the girl prompted with an encouraging smile, causing the others to exchange puzzled glances.

“Er, clients?” Amethyst repeated as she dug a ball of wax out of her ear and flicked it aside, wanting to make sure she’d heard properly.

“Yes, clients,” the stranger nodded, her serenity unwavering. “But something tells me this might be your first time,” she winked coyly as she examined Amethyst’s outfit. _“You,_ however, fight right in,” she gave Garnet an approving nod as she scanned her figure from head to toe.

_“Uhh…”_ Amethyst quickly felt her face grow hot. Beside her, Garnet showed no outward signs of discomfort, as always.

“You can take us to Pearl?” Garnet finally piped up, extending her right arm, acting as if the two of them were old friends.

“I sure can!” With that, the girl swept Amethyst and Garnet’s arms into her own, positioning herself at the center, and began guiding them toward the mysterious doorway. “My name’s Lapis, by the way. Lapis Lazuli. And yours?”

* * *

 

Feeling decidedly uncomfortable and somewhat perturbed by Lapis’ previous comment about her state of dress, Amethyst drummed her fingers listlessly against the circular table at which she and Garnet were seated. It was adorned with a simple white tablecloth and a small tea candle glowing softly in a squat glassy holder. The room around them was particularly dark as well, littered with (presumably) dozens of other tables, indicated by their own glittering candles, arranged in an elegant semi-circle around an elevated platform at the center.

“The waiter will bring your drinks in a moment. First one’s on the house!” Lapis informed them brightly.

“Just water, please,” Garnet instructed, and with a nod, their cute little hostess was gone in a flash.

“So… this is some kind of casino, right?” Amethyst repeated her previous question once more, flicking her eyes all around the room restlessly. She couldn’t understand why her friend was going along with all of this nonsense, and wondered if Garnet’s inexplicably freakish grasp on the French language was what prevented her from obtaining a straight answer from the dark-skinned woman.

“Again, you’re half right,” Garnet pursed her lips, as though she were withholding some terribly important information from her. A blonde waitress came by with a couple of waters for them, and disappeared with a nod of thanks.

_“Ugh, whatever!”_ Amethyst scoffed petulantly as she pushed herself deep into the back of her seat, then slid down a few inches, into an uncomfortable slouch. “Just wake me up when the show starts.”

As if the universe was waiting for that exact cue, the lights in the showroom dimmed further to indicate the start of the entertainment, and Garnet raised her drink to her lips knowingly. “Rise and shine.”

Amethyst sat up with a huff, resisting the temptation to pour her own drink all over the floor out of sheer boredom, and watched as a pair of bright spotlights circled around the room before settling on the platform. Lapis Lazuli fluttered in from the side, a cordless microphone pressed into her ear, and politely cleared her throat before addressing the crowd. Amethyst barely registered what was being said, as a curious thought distracted her from the words. She hadn’t noticed before, but with the deep red curtain behind Lapis, the area almost looked like… a stage.

Scratch that – it definitely _was_ a stage, Amethyst realized with a jolt, as the heavy curtain swept open, split at the middle, revealing a slick, well-polished silver pole, that was rooted to the floor and stretched all the way up to the rafters.

“What the –”

“Ladies and gentlemen, please give it up for our first dancer – Pearl!” Lapis bowed out gracefully as the crowd roared enthusiastically.

A familiar figure crossed the stage, donned in a glittering tank top and low-cut boyshorts to match the color of her beautiful baby-blue eyes, and looped her arm around the pole graciously. From this distance, it was easy to determine that her accessories were a pair of white ballet slippers with straps that criss-crossed all the way up to her knees, matching gloves with a light feather trim around the elbows, and a slight, gauzy tutu draped around the upper hem of her shorts. She also wore a slender, diamond-studded headpiece that bore a massive, oval-shaped pearl over the center of her forehead, glinting brightly in the spotlight as she bowed with a flourish for the warm audience reception she was receiving.

_“Woah!”_ Amethyst immediately slopped her drink all over the front of her shirt in her current state of shock, completely unaware of the sensation of freezing ice water seeping into her underclothes.

“It’s also a pole-dancing club,” Garnet informed her pointlessly as she continued sipping her beverage through pursed lips.

“You _knew?!”_ Amethyst practically squawked, prompting a number of ‘shush-ing’ hisses from the tables around them.

“Not until we got to the parking lot. It’s one of the classiest places in town,” Garnet explained honestly. “I’m just as surprised as you are. Trust.”

“Pfft, figures _Pearl_ would work in a place like this,” Amethyst rolled her eyes sardonically, in reference to the club’s supposed high-status, but was quick to turn them back to the platform with rapt attention as Pearl drew up from her elegant bow.

A slender young woman with an unusually angular blonde haircut took a seat at the ebony piano sitting in the pit beside the stage. Maybe it was the lighting, but her skin looked to be a sickly shade of green, and it would’ve probably caused a murmur of concern in the audience if they weren’t all so preoccupied with what was about to happen on the stage. Her extraordinarily long fingers unleashed the first few notes of a seductive piano solo, and Pearl sprang to life at once.

The routine was slow, methodical at first, as she expertly struck a series of warm-up ballet poses, using the pole to assist; first position, _demi-plié,_ first position, _relevé._ It felt almost surreal to see her move like that.

_‘That’s right; she did take ballet as a kid,’_ Garnet and Amethyst reminded themselves silently.

As the notes began to pitch higher, Pearl set to work removing her gloves leisurely, taking great care to uncurl each finger before sliding them off to the side of the stage with an elegant sweep or her arms. With that, she wrapped her left leg around the pole, and performed a few quick twirls, using her now-ungloved hands for additional leverage. There was a swell in the music, and Pearl released her leggy hold on the rail, raising her hips into the air with premeditated slowness, reaching a perfect straight line with her body. She held the pose for a few seconds before extending her legs over the top of her head easily, causing the audience to gasp loudly as she twisted her spine into the shape of an uppercase D, resting her toes _en pointe_ against the bar for an impossibly brief moment.

She then extended her legs horizontally forward, until she was able to cross her knees around the pole, while simultaneously uncurling her upper torso to set herself upright, showing off the taut, rippling muscles in her abdomen with deliberate care.

The crowd whistled wildly at this, and Amethyst’s jaw practically found its way onto the table. _‘Who’d’ve known that Pearl could be so… flexible,’_ was all she could think of at the moment, completely ensnared by the performance Pearl was putting on. Garnet watched Amethyst out of the corner of her eye for a brief moment, before turning her attention back to Pearl, thankful that her visor was able to obscure part of the deep crimson flush in her cheeks.

Pearl managed a few twirls along the bar, using only her knees for support, reclining her upper torso at a flat angle in the air, eliciting another roar of approval from the audience. She then came to a rest at this position, reaching her sinewy arms to latch onto the pole tightly. In an unexpected move, she uncurled her legs, crossing them together against her arms, then in one fluid motion, she swung away from the audience, flashing them a perfectly full split for a glorious yet all-too-brief moment before swiftly closing them once more. She _was_ in a club, after all, and she would have to earn her keep. Needless to say, there were a few loud whistles and suggestive catcalls at this gesture – one of which came from Amethyst.

_“Yowza! Go Pearl!”_ she cheered, clapping her hands appreciatively. “Who knew the little prude had it in her?” she turned to Garnet, who was doing her best to try and hide the fact that she was currently choking on an ice cube that had accidentally gone down the wrong pipe.

Undeterred by the lewd reactions she’d received, Pearl began executing the end of her routine. Adjusting her torso slightly, she performed a second perfect split lengthwise along the pole. She then slid down the pole nimbly, as though she were falling, and the crowd gasped with horror, fooled by the act. With a knowing smirk, she steadied herself with ease, coiling her left leg beneath her once more while keeping the right one extended above her. Pearl released her hold on the bar, supporting herself with only her left leg, and began spiraling downwards while holding this position, and the crowd let out a hushed _‘ooh!’_ of approval.

Pearl halted her descent a second time, resting a few feet above the floor, and gracefully extended her hands down, resting them firmly against the polished stage. She released her left leg from the rail, erecting her body into a perfectly vertical handstand, then lowered her feet to the ground, _en pointe,_ and held the arced pose briefly, her stomach pointing directly to the ceiling. She then came to a stand, slowly straightening her upper torso, and flashed the audience a dazzling white smile. With a dignified flourish, she bowed once more as the piano solo promptly came to a close.

Parts of the audience jumped to their feet at once, clapping feverishly, with the occasionally enthusiastic wolf-whistle thrown in, as Pearl collected her gloves and did a graceful _pirouette_ off-stage, without a hint of color etched into her features. Garnet and Amethyst were quick to join in, expressing their admiration with fervent applause, both of them too stunned to say or do much else until the ovation eventually died down.

“That… was intense,” Garnet spoke up after a moment, as she relaxed into her seat. Before them, Lapis Lazuli took the stage once more, to encourage another round of applause for Pearl before taking the time to introduce the next dancer.

“Yeah man, that was off the _hook!”_ Amethyst agreed with an overenthusiastic nod, and promptly leapt out of her chair as soon as she’d sat back down, feeling it inexplicably damp. “Okay, who spilled water on me?!”

* * *

 

It was late; about three in the morning, the last time Garnet had bothered to check, as she and Amethyst stood outside the _Casino Cigne D’or._ Thanks to a helpful tip from a clueless valet, they’d found the exterior entrance reserved for employees, and they were currently waiting around the corner for Pearl to emerge, surveying the thick metallic door with detached interest.

Bored out of her mind in the late hour, Amethyst raised her index and middle fingers to her lips, and pretended as though she were smoking a cigarette, puffing hot lungfuls of steam into the chilled night air, watching them curl and twist upwards.

“Can’t you read, Amethyst?” Garnet jokingly gestured to a ‘No Smoking’ sign that was planted into the ground literally two feet away from them. “’S a bad habit to get into, you know,”

“Ha ha, real funny,” Amethyst drawled, as she pretended to extinguish her fake cigarette by flicking it aside. “Like you’ve never done it.”

“Nope,” Garnet confirmed with a nod, though it was hard for Amethyst to be sure if she was actually telling the truth or not, thanks to Garnet’s inscrutable poker face.

Finally, the heavy door audibly creaked open, and Pearl stepped out into the night, wearing the same pink dress and heels she’d worn out of the house. “Brr, it’s chilly tonight,” she murmured to herself absently as she put on her jacket.

Unable to resist the temptation, Amethyst leapt out from behind the corner, with a wide grin plastered to her face. _“Aha!_ Gotcha Pearl! You are _sooooooo_ busted!!”

_“AGH!”_ Pearl gasped loudly as she dropped her handbag, using the ‘No Smoking’ sign to steady herself from fainting in her current state of shock. The poor thing was just so easily excitable sometimes. “What are _you two_ doing here?!”

Garnet pushed herself off the wall, stuffing her hands deep into her pockets, and stood beside Amethyst, who was currently doubled-up from raucous laughter at Pearl’s over-the-top reaction. “We could ask you the same thing,” she replied coolly.

“I…” Pearl found a familiar heat creeping into her cheeks, struggling to come up with an answer that would throw her roommates off her trail. “I-I-I was just… meeting a few friends he-here for drinks, t-that’s all.”

“Really?” The knowing smirk that played at the corner of Garnet’s lips immediately indicated the fact that Pearl was thoroughly, as Amethyst had so eloquently put it, _‘busted’._

“Oh come _on,_ P!” Amethyst reached out and latched onto Garnet’s arm for leverage as she set herself upright. “We _totally_ saw you up on that stage flaunting your money-maker for that crowd!”

“I wasn’t _flaunting_ anything!” Pearl retorted indignantly as she retrieved her purse, feeling the flush now spreading further through her face and neck.

“There was a little flaunting,” Garnet agreed with a nod, causing Pearl’s entire body to stiffen tightly. “We were all really impressed.”

“Fine! You’ve got me!” her hands flew up in the air, utterly defeated. _“Go ahead!_ Go on and make your off-color remarks, your lecherous jokes – about the _salacious_ nature of my occupation! I only _took_ this stupid job because we were a little short on the rent this month and I – _wait, what?”_ she interrupted her little rant when Garnet’s latest remark had finally caught up with her. “Come again?”

“You looked like you were completely at home on that stage,” Garnet flashed her a genuine smile. “It’s obvious that you worked hard, and it really paid off. You had that audience eating out of the palm of your hand.”

“Yeah dude, you lit that place _up!”_ Amethyst made an enthusiastic ‘bombing’ gesture with her hands, causing Pearl to smile in spite of herself. “You totally _slayed_ it, yo, and you didn’t even break a sweat! Oh and the _costume_ – dude, I practically _lost it_ when I saw you all done-up in that skimpy thing. I even spilled water on myself without noticing!”

“She tried to blame it all on me,” Garnet added ruefully.

Pearl giggled behind the back of her hand, picturing the scene in her mind, and looked at her companions with a sigh of relief. “Well, thank you. Your support really… it means a lot to me. I was so sure you wouldn’t approve, I swore to myself I’d never let you find out.” She then looked between the pair of them with a perplexed head tilt. “Speaking of which, how –?”

“We followed you,” Amethyst smirked and patted Garnet’s forearm proudly – she was too short to reach much higher. “Did you know Garnet drives like a _beast?”_

“No I did not,” Pearl replied with a shake of her head. “I should’ve known you’d track me down eventually.”

Her reply caused Amethyst to giggle in return, but Garnet had other, more pressing matters on her mind. “You took this job to cover the rent?” she interjected suddenly.

“Y-Yes,” Pearl admitted as she rubbed her upper arm sheepishly, in a half-hearted attempt to generate a bit of extra body heat. Despite her red-hot face, the rest of her body felt completely ice-cold. “I was looking over the finances we’ve incurred over the past month, and I realized we were going to be a bit short come month-end, so…” she trailed off, allowing the sentence to finish itself with a quick wave of her hand.

“Maybe we should cut back on the Chinese food,” Garnet offered helpfully, causing Amethyst to squeak indignantly.

_“Hey!_ I really like our fast-food-and-board-game-Fridays!”

“So do I,” Pearl agreed with a wistful sigh. “I’m sorry I missed out on the last two. Well, _three,_ as of now, I suppose. Fridays just tend to be more… _lucrative,_ for this type of thing, you know?”

“Meh, that’s fair,” Amethyst returned with a shrug.

“I only intended to do it once, maybe twice – just to have some extra money left over, you understand – and –”

“We were _that_ short?” Garnet was practically aghast.

_“No!_ Oh, no no,” Pearl was quick to assure Garnet with an encouraging squeeze of her forearm. She then found herself blushing again, in spite of herself. “It’s just that… well… the pay is _incredibly_ good…”

“Really?” Amethyst shot her a mischievous smirk. “Never woulda pegged your for a gold-digger, P!”

Before Pearl could open her mouth to retort, Garnet interrupted with a noncommittal tone. “How much… did you earn?”

Resigned to the fact that she was going to have to explain herself eventually, Pearl reached into her handbag and pulled out a handful of bills with a hesitant groan, allowing Garnet and Amethyst to examine it with a soft ‘ooh’. It was difficult to determine exactly how much cash was in there from this vantage point, but there were a number of large bills among the folds to indicate that she’d easily made at least a few hundred dollars in a single evening.

_“Dayum!”_ Amethyst couldn’t help the word from slipping out as Pearl pocketed the tidy sum. “Don’t quit your day job, Pearl!” From her tone, it was difficult to tell if she was being serious, or if she was just up to her usual teasing banter.

“Ditto,” Garnet agreed with a nod, then stood back to adjust her visor stiffly. “I guess… it wouldn’t be such a bad thing if you kept doing it.”

“Oh, i-it wouldn’t be a regular thing, of course,” Pearl was quick to add. “After all, I _do_ still have my ‘day job’, as you so eloquently put it, Amethyst.”

This earned her a scandalized look from the shorter woman. “Way to harsh my buzz, yo!”

“I can still pick up a shift or two whenever they need me,” Pearl explained the idea forming in her mind. “And it wouldn’t hurt to have extra funds for our Friday night fun-times – so we don’t have to compromise our budget as much as we _have_ been.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” said Garnet.

“Yeah! Too bad you can’t hook us up with jobs here, P,” scoffed Amethyst.

“You _know…”_ Pearl raised a hand up to her chin thoughtfully; her roommates could practically see the gears turning in her head. “I actually _could,_ if you were interested. Each of you is fairly easy on the eyes, and with a bit of training, you’d certainly be able to make a comfortable living for yourselves here!”

“What?! Dude, I was _joking!”_ Amethyst squawked, blushing deeply. Beside her, Garnet’s posture stiffened significantly, her mouth set in a firm, straight line.

“Oh, nonsense! I bet you’re both naturals,” Pearl promptly dug her palms into each of their shoulders, ushering them purposefully through the employee entranceway – Garnet had to be guided with more significant force, her heels digging hard into the pavement, while Amethyst flailed her arms uselessly in her defense.

“Let me just introduce you to my manager for a quick assessment, and we can go from there! Her name is Lapis Lazuli – you’ll absolutely love her, she’s _such_ a sweetheart!” Pearl trilled merrily as she guided them into the building, completely enthralled at the prospect of getting her friends involved with her employment.

“We’ve met,” Amethyst noted dryly, flustered at the memory of the encounter, and a curt reminder from the back of her mind told her it was not the time to give up the struggle. “Pearl, would you _let go_ already?!”

**FIN**


End file.
